Page 16 - World Airnews Magazine March 2021

HELICOPTERS

ACCELERATING HELICOPTER

INNOVATION

ance for Landing Extension - an electro-op- the data before it is sent to the global

tical, gimbaled camera system that aims to computer on the aircraft,” said Alexandre

irbus Helicopters has developed support enhanced flight automation. Gierczynski, Flightlab project leader.

Aa fl ying laboratory that could Previous trials had already enabled The HUMS system will also enable owners
help bring new innovations to market automated landings using imaging data. to undertake rotor track and balance without

three times faster. The next step will involve EAGLE technol- the need for an external device to measure

Flying since last April, the company’s sin- ogy matured for low-altitude navigation, it. The Flightlab will also be the platform with

gle-engine H130 Flightlab has already test- automatically identifying obstacles. which Airbus will test a refined electrical

ed several so-called technology bricks to A more significant research effort to sup- backup system. It will use a Thales-supplied

improve safety and to pave the way for the port urban air mobility activity is planned for 100-kW electric motor powered by a battery

company’s urban air mobility ambitions. 2022: The installation of a hybrid fly-by-wire developed by Airbus Defence and Space,
“We want to move from ideas to control system will aim to modify the ergo- in what Krysinski has previously called a

flight-testing applications very quickly - this nomics of the flight controls to make flying mild-hybrid architecture, to act as a safety

is at the heart of the Flightlab. We are work- the aircraft more intuitive, and inceptors will device in the event of an engine failure.

ing together with other Airbus divisions,” he be fitted to the mechanical control linkages As rotor speed falls, the electric motor will

said. “We are integrating partners, start-ups, in the helicopter to provide more authority kick in and give the pilot more time to find

and that is how we are preparing for the and a level of envelope protection. Airbus somewhere to make a smoother and safer au-

future,” said Tomasz Krysinski, Airbus Heli- said the trial will study several combinations torotation landing. The trials will build on flight

copters head of research and innovation. of inceptors and control laws to define the testing carried out with an AS350 Ecureuil/

Flightlab is an Airbus-wide research and most optimised configurations. Squirrel/AStar platform in 2011. A later phase

technology initiative. The H130’s equivalent “Several possibilities will be tested on stick will expand the capability of the system, con-

in the commercial business is the prototype inputs with regards to aircraft response, necting two motors in parallel to the dynamic

Airbus A340 airliner used for the BLADE such as speed hold and automatic return to system and allowing the aircraft to make 2

laminar-flow-wing experiments. hover,” a company spokesman said. min. of electric flight in a low-power setting.

So far, the H130 Flightlab has been used The combination of both the flight Krysinski believes that in addition to safe-

to mature Airbus’ Rotor Strike Alerting control system and EAGLE is designed to re- ty benefits, the hybrid technology, even

System (RSAS), which uses lidar sensors duce the workload of the pilot by providing in this early stage of development, could
fitted on each side of the aircraft to provide “full autonomous assistance so that the increase the payload capacity of the light

detection of obstacles that could present a pilot only needs to make decisions if the helicopter, although the systems them-

collision risk to the main or tail rotor. system is failing,” said Nicolas Damiani, selves will come with weight penalties.

RSAS development flights took place in autonomy expert at Airbus Helicopters. Hybridisation will also be a “lever” for
December, and the company plans to begin Airbus will also test a new health and usage reducing rotor speeds and reducing noise and
offering the system on its family of light monitoring system (HUMS) technology that could open up a path to hydrogen-based pro-

helicopters by the middle of this year. it hopes will become cost-effective for use pulsion, Krysinski said. Gierczynski said the

To support urban air mobility efforts, the on light helicopters. Until now, the weight of company plans to test a road map of technol-

Flightlab has also undertaken flight trials in wiring, systems and black boxes associated ogy on Flightlab through 2024. Some of these

conjunction with the French civil aviation with such systems has been too heavy and technologies will be tested in parallel, and

regulator, the DGAC, to gauge the percep- costly to install on light helicopters, but the others in isolation, notably the EBS, he said.

tion of helicopter sound in urban areas and new lightweight HUMS integrates the analysis “Having a dedicated platform to test

to better understand noise propagation. software into the five sensors that monitor these new technologies brings the future of

During 2021, Flightlab will be used to fur- the H130’s dynamic systems. flight a step closer and is a clear reflection

ther develop the company’s EAGLE project “The accelerometers in the system will of our priorities at Airbus Helicopters,” said

- which stands for Eye for Augmented Guid- feature software [that] will pre-analyse Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even. Q
World Airnews | March 2021
— 14 —